Sound Machine Interview: Pink Royal

Who are the members of Pink Royal and when did the band come together?

The Pink boys consist of Steven LaCour, Alex Hartmann, Nick Carswell, Josh Dorrell, and Vik Govindarajan. Steve's the only original member from when the band first came about, back in his ol' college days. The lineup has gone through many renditions but the core has remained constant over the last four years. Vik G is our newest member, joining after subbing in multiple gigs and has found his way up to main vocalist with our newest rendition. As well as increasing our average band height a good six inches.

Why did you choose Pink Royal as your band name, and does that name carry any significance or symbolism?

The story behind the name has no real significant meaning...or does it?? One of our first rehearsal spaces was in a community housing program, and every time we rehearsed a Victoria Secret frisbee with the words "PINK" kept finding its way onto the drum throne. We thought it was a sign. We then started playing gigs with it until one afternoon we ended up losing it on a roof. The second half of the name loosely found its way through our drummer at the time, who was British, and thought of himself highly. Just because you're British means you're royalty right? Anyways the name stuck and we feel it encompasses the sound better than any other name could.

Pretend you work in a record store and a customer comes in asking for recommendations. What would that customer have to ask for that would cause you to pick up a Pink Royal record?

I'm looking for some really, really good music...What do you think I should listen to? All jokes aside, if someone is looking for a cross between Radiohead and Motown vibes, our debut album would fit right in. It's a weird combination, but there's a lot of soul in the vocal performance, and lots of experimental noodling of time signatures and guitar licks.

What is the next big thing for Pink Royal?

We have an EP in the works, and it's been a culmination of our writing experiences as a group, as well as a lot more collaborative. Most of the tunes on our album Taps were written a while back, so our sound has evolved and we are looking forward to sharing it with everyone. Our first time debuting these songs is the RecordBar gig Friday so we are very excited to playing them.

Without throwing anyone under the bus, what’s been the strangest show you’ve ever played?

A notably wild show was last year in Austin, TX. It was at this student co-op house, and the whole setup was very loose. There weren't enough mic stands, so some mics ended up being attached to 2x4s.

Honestly, it's difficult to paint a picture in words, as it would do the wackiness of the night an injustice. But believe us when we say it was crazy to the max, and a whole lot of fun. At least from what we remember.

What would Pink Royal's epitaph say?

What the **** is an epitaph?! Next question!!!

Pink Royal is sculpting a Mt. Rushmore of their most influential people. What four faces do you carve?

About a year ago we took band photos, and internally we photoshopped Alex's, our drummer, face on everyone else's, so his face four times would be the solid choice.

Pink Royal is in charge of making a three-song mixtape to send into outer-space. What three songs make the cut?

Pink Royal is planning a night out for their significant other, what on the agenda?

Well we travel as a five piece for everything. Date nights, baby showers, weddings, you name it. We've found it easier for the spouses and S.O.'s to stop using our individual names and just refer to us as Pink Royal.

That said, the ideal date night would include the playlist mentioned above, a handful of Mickey's forties, and an intimate screening of John Carpenter's Big Trouble in Little China.